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Cleobis and Biton (also called Cleops and Bitias
2), who are said to have surpassed all men in
brotherly love and in affection towards their
mother, are remembered for having performed a noble
deed, which justified the pious prayer that caused
their death.
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Precious life
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In the view of most mortals nothing is more
precious than life. For their senses tell them that
it is sweet to look upon the light, while their
judgement teaches them that without life the sun is
gone, as well as the pleasures of love in all its
forms, and the fiery visions of
wine, and the delightful
song of the MUSES, and
many other wonderful things, depending on taste and
inclination.
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The cause of deprivation
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The same judgement clearly perceives that
Death is the cause of
such deprivation; and although
Death is well known for
never accepting bribes and never failing in
bringing destruction, most men and women are
prepared to do whatever it takes to delay the
arrival of this dreadful god, for as short an
instant as it might be, so that they may be fetched
not now but later. But since
Death cannot be soothed
with prayers nor overcome by force nor mislead by
cunning, mortals hate him, calling him black, evil,
grievous, and many other names.
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No one knows
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Yet, as it has been remarked, no one knows for
certain what Death
might bring, and he who knows little about
Death (it has been also
suggested), must needs know little about life too,
being perhaps confused about the nature of both:
"Who knows if
to live is to be dead, and to be dead, to
live? [Socrates. Plato,
Gorgias
492e]
This issue, however, can neither be investigated
by any high council of sages, nor unveiled through
clever devices, and whereas some might find and
answer for themselves in their corner of the
universe, others go about making proclamations, and
claiming to know what the rest ignore.
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Approach to life and death
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Yet others do not reason about the nature of
life and death, but on how they stand in relation
to each other. Firstly they seem to think that in
order to pay, as they call it, the debt to
Death, it suffices with
dying, which, despite its being painful on
occasion, is a much simpler procedure than the act
of living. Secondly, seeing that dying is not yet
death but rather a part of that same act of living,
they concern themselves not so much with the world
beyond them, but instead with the world before
them. Being then primarily concerned with life (and
necessarily with a good life; not a bad one, for
then death could be preferred), they conclude that
a good or happy life is achieved when also death is
good, meaning by good what is honourable, or
courageous, or dignified in any other way.
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Solon's view
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For example the Athenian poet and statesman
Solon (c. 640 -
c. 560 BC) is remembered (among other things) for
having advised King
Croesus of Lydia, who
entertained him in his palace, acquainting him with
the treasures, greatness and prosperity of his
country, to refrain from calling a man fortunate
before he dies. And when
Croesus, hoping that his
guest would acknowledge him as the most blessed,
asked him to declare who was the happiest man in
the world,
Solon mentioned
others instead, making every effort to let the king
feel miserable, despite all his riches. For even
sage men have a share in cruelty behind the mirror,
and not seldom they allow truth to stir up their
own perversity. But these things are matter of
opinion; and whereas some may think that the king
received a well deserved lesson, others have
thought that a man should associate with rulers
"either as little as
possible, or with the best grace possible".
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Solon's
first prize
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In any case,
Solon refused
to call Croesus the
happiest man, listing others as if he were not
aware of the king's desire. First he declared that
at certain Athenian called Tellus was most happy.
For, to begin with, he came from a prosperous city;
then his children, who were good and noble, gave
him grandchildren, all of which survived. Also,
besides leading a most prosperous life, Tellus met
a glorious death during the war between
Athens and
Eleusis, perishing
finely in battle. And finally, he was buried at
public expense on the spot where he had fallen,
being honoured in many ways.
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Solon's
second prize
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When Croesus heard
the story of Tellus, he hoped to be awarded
Solon's second
prize of happiness. But
Solon, finding
pleasure in provocation, said that the Argive
brothers Cleobis and Biton came next after Tellus.
For, he argued, they had well enough to live on,
and besides great bodily strength, having both won
prizes in athletic contests.
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Cleobis and
Biton
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They convey their mother
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Solon added
that once—on the occasion of a festival of
Hera in
Argos—their mother
needed to be transported to the temple. And since
the oxen that would draw her wagon had not yet
returned from the fields, Cleobis and Biton took
the yoke upon their own shoulders, and running
against time, drew the wagon with their mother
riding atop it, covering a long distance until they
came to the sanctuary of
Hera, where the whole
gathering praised their strength.
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Better to die
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Being exhausted after performing such a huge
effort, Cleobis and Biton lay down in the temple
and went to sleep, while their mother Cydippe 2,
whom many had congratulated for having borne such
children, prayed to Hera to
grant her children whatever was the best thing a
man could receive. And since after this prayer the
youths never rose again, but went, as some say,
from one sleep to the next, it was concluded that
for human beings it is a better thing to die than
to live.
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Divergent details
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Such is the story that Herodotus affirms that
Solon told
Croesus. Others have
said that the oxen were not found because they were
dead, and that the whole issue was a matter of life
and death for Cydippe 2, priestess of
Hera. For if the sacrifices
to the goddess were not performed at a certain
time, she had to be killed. This is why, they say,
her children, took upon their shoulders both task
and yoke. It is added, however, that they died,
after the aforementioned prayer, on their return to
Argos, and that Cydippe 2,
realizing that there was nothing better for mortals
than to die, died herself a willing death.
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Dedication at Delphi
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Herodotus says that
Solon told
Croesus that the Argives
made and dedicated at
Delphi statues of Cleobis
and Biton as being the best of men; and those
statues (or their remains) should be the same that
can be seen above in this page.
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